KeSPA chairman hit with 5 years of prison

The big scandal in South Korea continues. The head of the country's esports association (KeSPA), Jeon Byeong-Heon, received a strict verdict from the local court (open the link only if you know Korean). The official was sentenced to five years of prison. The court also fined him with 350 million won (310 thousand dollars).

The prosecutor's office accused Byeong-Heon of several violations of the law: bribery, budget funds appropriation and corruption. KeSPA head's helper received a similar punishment and a fine of 500 million won (445 thousand dollars) — he bribed the former CEO of Lotte Home Shopping.

In late January, the city attorney demanded eight-year imprisonment and a fine of 600 million won (half a million dollars) from the court. According to prosecutors, Byeong-Heon received bribes totalling 550 million won (490 thousand dollars). The main "funding" came from a whole group of companies: GS Home Shopping, KT and the aforementioned Lotte Home Shopping. 

Moreover, Byeong-Heon, while working as a presidential secretary for political issues, managed to secure additional funding for the esports association from the state budget — and simply stole some money.

The investigation began in November 2017, with searches in KeSPA offices. It is worth noting that the association oversees the country's esports from the very beginning.